Validation of the Orgasm Rating Scale in Context of Sexual Relationships of Gay and Lesbian Adults

Abstract

Currently, no validated instrument exists for assessing the subjective experience of orgasm in the gay population. The Orgasm Rating Scale (ORS), previously validated in the heterosexual population, comprises four dimensions: Affective, Sensory, Intimacy, and Rewards. This study validated it for sexual relationships in the gay population by obtaining its factorial invariance by sexual orientation and sex, its internal consistency reliability, and evidence of validity in its relationship with other variables. We assessed 1600 cisgender Spanish adults–heterosexuals, gays, and lesbians–divided into 4, sex-based groups of 400 each, according to the Kinsey scale scores. Participants reported recent experiences of orgasm in the context of sexual relationships and responded to the ORS and other scales assessing attitude toward sexual fantasies and sexual functioning. The ORS structure showed a strict multigroup-level invariance by sexual orientation and sex, confirming its four-dimensional structure. The subjective orgasm intensity was associated with a positive attitude toward sexual fantasies and sexual functioning. Scores obtained on the Affective, Intimacy, and Rewards dimensions confirmed the ability to discriminate between gay people with and without orgasmic difficulties. The ORS’s Spanish version presents good psychometric properties as a validated scale to evaluate the subjective experience of orgasm in the gay population.

Masturbation parameters related to orgasm satisfaction in sexual relationships: Differences between men and women

“…On subjective orgasm experience in solitary masturbation, and in line with the results obtained by previous studies that have examined the subjective orgasm experience in the heterosexual relationships context (36,56), women report greater intensity than men, except on the Reward dimension, which has also been shown for the gay population (57). To explain differences in orgasm intensity between men and women, women have been proposed to better localize orgasms anatomically (56), which would be associated with perceiving greater intensity (58).…”

“…As higher masturbation frequency in men is associated with lower orgasm satisfaction in sexual relationships, it would be coherent to think that solitary sexual desire plays no relevant role to explain men's orgasm satisfaction. Finally, the differences observed in the models of men and women fall in line with the previous literature, which emphasizes how women's orgasm is associated with more variables than it is for men (56,57,67).…”

“…. also been indicated that women could have a bigger repertoire to describe their orgasm sensations (57,59). Regarding the differences in their dimensions, not finding discrepancies would be expected on the Rewards dimension, which is made up of the items "peaceful, " "relaxing, " and "soothing, " because both men and women have pointed out that relaxing is one of the main reasons to masturbate (13, 60, 61).…”

Evaluating the Subjective Orgasm Experience Through Sexual Context, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

“…The four dimensions were Affective (emotions experienced during orgasm), Sensory (perception of physiological changes experienced during orgasm), Intimacy (intimate aspect of the experience), and Rewards (reinforcing effect of the orgasm). This four-dimension structure has been shown to be consistent as found in various psychometric studies Cervilla et al, 2022;Mangas et al, 2022) and a laboratory study in both contexts (sexual relationships and solitary masturbation).…”

“…To date, most studies on SOE have focused on the context of sexual relationships Mah & Binik, 2001;Mangas et al, 2022). The SOE has hardly been studied in the context of solitary masturbation, probably because masturbation has been considered taboo for centuries (Das, 2007;Sierra et al, 2022).…”